Use of Metaphor in Dylan Thomas Poem

The poem's central metaphor is made apparent in the first lines: "The force that through the green fuse drives the flower/Drives my green age" (1-2). Thomas suggests that the same power that causes the flower to bloom also gives life to the poet. Thus, nature becomes a powerful metaphor for the life of man, as Thomas continues it the next line by declaring that the same force that "athat blasts the roots of the trees/Is my destroyer" (2-3). Here, Thomas introduces the notion of death into the poem. It becomes clear that life and death inhabit the same cycle, and just as the force described in the poem destroys the trees, it siphons the poet's life away over time.

Thomas continues to use the nature metaphor to describe the cycle of life and death. He explains that "aI am dumb to tell the crooked rose/My youth is bent in the same wintry fever" (4-5). The poet does not need to explain the effects of t